FUO Lecturer Seeks to Project Traditional Festival as Window for Community Development.

Aside from their academic and teaching jobs Federal University Otuoke lecturers are not relaxing in their oars as vanguards in projecting and preserving the valuable culture and traditions of their Local Areas.

Head of Department Humanities, Dr. Okechukwu Edward Okeke is a leading example as he has sought answers to “the revival of Ikwo aka Uzo” Festival of the Obowo people of Imo State.

Dr. Okeke in a lecture titled “The implications of Ikwo aka Uzo for community Development” while striving to define festivals brilliantly delved into the history behind the festival, highlighted outstanding features of past editions, its importance and significance to Community Development.

The paper defined Ikwo aka Uzo as a traditional festival in Obowo since 2011 which hitherto served as a token of appreciation by the men to their wives in October every year, but recently advanced in 2003 by Ndiuhu Autonomous Community as a unifying factor.

Held 29th December of every year at Afor Udu market, this secular festival involves speech, dance, wrestling competitions, fundraising and philanthropy and recently public lectures and awards.

Dr. Okeke in his paper presentation further proposed other ways Ikwo aka Uzo Festival can be beneficial to the community through poverty alleviation, infrastructural development, scholarships and sponsorship of school programmes and job applications.

The Lecture ended by describing Ikuo aka Uzo as a rich form of entertainment with broad psychological benefits that should be sustained.